The exhibition title alamak! is a frequently spoken word in many South East Asian countries as well as in Japan, which connotes the meaning of “oh my God!” or “what a surprise!”. This word has no one certain origin but has been used as a common expression in daily conversations for several generations. When using the word alamak!, people tend to express their out-of-expectation reaction to what is happening around them. The alamak! exhibition brings together 12 top design talents from Asia to make a contemporary impression on our perception of what is ‘Design in Asia’; in response by the curator to the theme 21st Century.Design After Design at the XXI Triennale International Exhibition 2016.

Right from the beginning of our modern understanding of design, Asia has been viewed as a continent of lively craft industries fed by its rich material surroundings. Western creativity has traditionally dominated in the design, whilst Asia hasn’t been viewed as a source of any great creative landmarks. Asian manufacturers have an abundance of production knowhow across a number of businesses, which designers from the West choose to ignore, in favor of production costs - manufacturing massive quantities of items daily, regardless of the impact to our society and environment.